Week 8 Monday Scripture: 5 “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside: and it wa trampled down and the birds of the air devoured it. 6 Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. 8 But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold.” When He had said these things He cried, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” Observation: I love how Jesus uses our won language to speak to us. You can FEEL how much He loves us as He cries out at the end of verse 8. He wants to warn us and teach us. He knows that we can not understand the utterings of God, so He puts in a way that all can understand. Just as we would do with our own children. Application: We should all research God’s word and strive to learn. It is our instruction book, telling us how to live and love. It is how God speaks to us. There is NOTHING more important than spending time with God and His word EVERYDAY. Prayer: Father, help me to stay focused on You and not let other things get in the way of me spending time with You each day. I love You Father and wan to know You more. ~AmenWeek 8 Tuesday Scripture: 15 But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the work with a nobel and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience. Observation 1: This is how we should all be. Living on the word of God so that we can bare much fruit. Observation 2: In the parable there are 4 senarios all dealing with seeds. Jesus says that the seed is the word of God. We deal with hearing the word of God in 4 idfferent ways. Wayside – they hear, but the devil comes and takes it away, out of their hearts, so they are not saved. Rock – when they hear, receive the word with joy, but have no root, which means they are not grounded enough and when temptation comes, and it will, then they “fall away”or their spiritual life slowly withers and dies. Thorns – when they have heard they go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasure of life and are unable to bring forth fruit to maturity. Their focus is always somewhere elce, not on doing God’s work. Good Ground –they heard the word with a noble and good heart. They keep it and bear fruit with patience. Application: I think we all go through seasons where we are each of these. I have been a Christian since I was 9 years old and I can tell you I have been in good ground, rocks and thorns many different times. Even the best Christians go throughseasons where they are distracted by temptations and cares, riches and pleasures. I believe as we grow as Christians the rocks and thorn seasons get shorter and shorter. We realize sooner that we are in these seasons and know what we need to do to get back to good ground. Prayer: Father, help me to stay on good ground. When I stray to the rock and thorns Lord speak to my heart and bring me back to Your wonderful word. ~AmenWeek 8 Wednesday Scripture: 21 But he answered and said to them, “My mother and my brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.” Observation 1: I do not think that Jesus was denying His mother and brother as much as trying to make a point. Every time I hear this, or hear someone talk about it, we usually think how hurt Mary was. I bet that Mary knew what Jesus was doing. She knew Him better than anyone there. Observation 2: I think here Jesus is showing us that if we hear God’s word and obey then we belong in the family of Jesus. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ! How awesome to know that we belong to God! Unfortunately we do not always treat each other the way that family should. We are judgmental of everyone including our brothers and sisters in Christ. Imagine the possibilities if we would treat our brothers and sisters with Christ’s love and bonded together as a family to fight Satan and win others to Christ! Satan of course does not want this to happen because if it did we could reach everyone for Christ. We let Satan work though and fight amongst ourselves, not realizing we are letting Satan have his way. Prayer: Father help me to look at others through Your eyes, with love and compassion and understanding. Help us as Christians band together in Your name to reach others for Christ and defeat Satan. ~Amen.Week 8 Thursday Scripture: 39 “Return to your won house and tell what great things God has done for you.” And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for Him. Observation 1: I cannot imagine how this poor man must have felt with his entire body controlled by demons! How awful! Observation 2: What an amazing relief he must have felt the second they all left him! Observation 3: The man wanted to stay by Jesus’ side, but He gave him a job instead, “…tell what great things God has done for you.” Observation 4: We have ALL been this guy, trapped and possessed by Satan and our own sin! If we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, confessed our sin and asked God into our hearts then Jesus has banished that guilt and sin from our lives and we are free! Now what? We go out and, “tell others the great things God had done” for us. Application: It is our responsibility, nay our privilege, to tell others about Christ and what He has done for us. How honored are we that Jesus dies for us. How can we not share that with others? Prayer: Father help me to tell others about You and all the wonderful things that You do for me. I love You Father, thank You so much for all of my many blessings. ~Amen

Week 7 MondayScripture: 7 Therefore I did not even think myself worth to come to You. But say the word and my servant will be healed. 9 When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, “I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!” Observation 1: Oh how I pray that one day I will have faith strong enough that He will “marvel” at it! Observation 2: What a great example of a man. He is humble and filled with an amazing faith. He knows that in his sinful state he is not worth to be close to Jesus. He knows that Jesus is God and that He can command the illness to leave his friend. He was and still is an amazing example of faith. Application: This is where I could use a little instruction and guidance. I have ...faith that God can do ANYTHING. I know this with all of my heart. I also know that God has a plan for my life and knows what is best for me. I can pray for something for the rest of my life, but if it is not part of God’s plan for me He will not answer, right? In a Karen Kingsbury book a mom gave her son up for adoption. Her dying prayer was to meet this child, a man by then. She prayed and prayed. Was it already God’s plan, or did He change things so that He could grant her prayer? So do our prayers really change things or are we just praying for things that God does not change. I ask in all honesty and do not want to seem like I doubt God at all. For instance, all the things that I pray for my children, God already wants for them. They have free will to choose right or wrong. Does God work harder on them because I am praying for them? It does not seem to me that He would work this way, but that whether I pray or not He is going to work His very hardest to keep them on His path. Please do not think that I do not believe in prayer. I pray to God many times a day. He gives me His wonderful peace and speaks to my soul. I have prayed for a sign so I knew how to make a decision and He granted my prayer! I love my Father and believe what it says in Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” I like this version “an expected end”, how wonderful to know that all that we go through God is in control. He knows the end, it is all expected. The next verse is just as important. 12 “Then shall ye call upon Me, and ye shall go and pray unto Me, and I will harken unto (listen to) you. Prayer: Father, even when I do not understand or have all the answers I love and trust in You. You know my path and my heart. Nothing that happens is unexpected to You and You always hear me when I call. ~Amen.A cousin of mine gave me this information about prayer and I thought that I would share it with you:He said "We acknowledge our insignificance through prayer, and we glorify Him when we pray. We pray, requesting that He take action. He may have a designed plan where He may say no to our requests, but He is still a God of miracles and when we pray we are acknowledging that."Week 7 Tuesday Scripture: 13 When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” 14 Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” 15 So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to hi mother. Observation 1: How awesome that we have a God of compassion. He hurts when we hurt because He loves us so much! Observation 2: I bet those holding the coffin ‘bout peed their pants when a dead man started talking!!! Application: I need to remember how important I am to God. He loves each one of us so very much. He is right there with us no matter what we are going through. He is a God of compassion and will not give us more than we can handle. Satan will throw many things our way, but God knows what will grow us and what is too much. What a wonderful God we serve!!!Prayer: Lord when I go through troubles, help me to remember that You will not give me more than I can bare; that you are a God of compassion and miracles. Help me to also show compassion to others. ~AmenWeek 7 Wednesday Scripture: 33 “For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ 34 The Son of Man has come eating and drinking and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ 35 But wisdom is justified by all her children” Observation 1: Winebibber – a habitual drinker of alcohol. Observation 2: Who are Wisdom’s children? Observation 3: It seems that these people are very judgmental, loosing site of the message, or missing it all together, just to find something wrong with the other person. Application: We are never going to find a perfect person, mom, dad sister, brother, preacher or mentor. If we are so busy pointing out where they need improvement then we many very well miss the message that God is trying to show us. Prayer: Father, help me to understand that no one is perfect and we all make mistakes. Help me to open my heart and learn from others without being judgmental.Week 7 Thursday Scripture: 41 “There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said to Him, “You have rightly judged.” Observation 1: I LOVE how Jesus handles these Pharisees! He does not yell or cut them down. He uses no violence. He just teaches and shows them right from wrong. What a great example for us to follow! Observation 2: In this example Jesus is using money to symbolize sin! When you realize this and go back through the example with this in mind it completely changes the verses! Observation 3: I think it is more about the realization of sin rather than the actual amount of sin. All of our sins are too numerous to count. Some of us realize how sinful we are and how much we need Jesus and we are the ones who cling to Him a though we were in the middle of the ocean on a boat that was sinking and He was our life vest. Which is what He is, right?! Others know they sin, but feel that they are good for the most part and definitely not as bad as those “other” people. They love God but only have the vest in the boat with them in case of an emergency. They are not wearing it or clinging to it. They have it just in case. Application: I want to remain humble knowing what a horrible sinner I am. I want to love Jesus more and more. I do not EVER want to be like the Pharisees, pointing to others as sinners, now seeing how sinful I am. Prayer: Father, search my heart and show me my sin. I cling to You, Lord, my Savior. I am nothing without You Jesus. Thank You for saving me! ~Amen. How beautiful are these verses. I am sure I have read these verses a few times, but I was reading to finish the whole Bible. This study has helped me and completely changed the way that I read the Bible. As I read this example Jesus gave a light just turned on. I just stopped and thanked God! He is soooo good to us!Week 7 Friday Scripture: 47 Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little if forgiven the same loves little.” 50 Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.” Observation 1: Since vs 47 follows the same point as yesterday I am going to focus on vs 59. Observation 2: And we are back to faith again! I think Jesus is trying to tell us something. Faith is the foundation of our relationship with God. Even though in Jesus’time they could see him, there was much controvercy over whether He was the Messiah or not. They still had to have much faith in who He was. There is no telling how far some of them traveled, on faith. “Your FAITH has saved you.” No matter your situation, a sinner in need of salvation, sick in need of healing, stressed or anzious in need of peace, the list goes on. Call out to Jesus in faith! He will be there for you! Application: I need to learn to rely on God more. To have faith that He cares about every aspect of my life, even the small stuff. Prayer: I love You so, Father. I have faith in You Lord, help me to have faith that You will handle ALL of the situations in my life. You love us so much and only want us to have faith in You, help me to do this! ~Amen

Week 6 Monday Scripture: 9 Then Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?” 10 And when He had looked around at them all. He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored as whole as the other. Observation 1: The Pharisees are ruled by laws. Jesus is ruled by love and relationship. Jesus is trying to teach them that it does no good to keep the law if doing so leads you to doing evil. It is wrong to see others hurting and not lift a finger to help them because you feel you must follow the laws of the Sabbath. We know that Jesus believes in doing good and following God’s laws, but I think He is trying to show us here that love and relationships are more important than judging others about the laws they have broken. The Pharisees will never reach others for Christ with a list of things they should and should not do. Instead we need to be lights of love for others to see the love and forgiveness of Jesus our Lord and Savior. I believe that there are times when we need to talk to others about sin and becoming more like Jesus, but I believe that it should be done in love. NOT in an “I am better than you” Pharisee way, but in an “I love you” Jesus way. Application 1: I want to be more like Jesus every day. I want to see life and people through His eyes. I want others to see Jesus in me. I do not want to bog others down with rules, but lift them up with love and understanding. If God places in on my heart and gives me the opening to talk to them about other things then I am willing to follow His lead. Prayer: Lord, You know my thoughts, needs and hearts desires. You know that though I try there are times when I fail miserably. Forgive me for these times and help even my failure to be used for Your glory. Use me Lord to show others your amazing love and forgiveness. Help me to be understanding of others differences and not get so caught up in the rules that I cannot see others needs. ~AmenWeek 6 Tuesday Scripture: 20 Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said: “Blessed are you poor, for yours if the kingdom of God, 21 Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. 22 Blessed are you when ment hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man’s sake. 23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, for in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.” I wrote these verses and read them over and over, but did not feel like I was getting the true meaning. I thought about them throughtout the day yesterday and then sat back down in front of them this morning. I still was getting nothing. I went to the Good Morning Girls blog and read what they wrote so that I could get some meaning from this. Here is what they wrote: In 1660 Thomas Watson wrote an exposition on the Beatitudes. It is so good that I am going to be drawing from it in this post. You can read the whole thing hereif you want. After healing a number of people, Jesus goes up on a mountain and begins to preach his famous“Sermon on the Mount.” He starts with the beatitudes which are a collection of truths for those who want to truly be blessed or “happy”. I want to focus on the very first one because from it spring the rest. “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Luke 6:20 What does he mean by “poor?” Is he referring to those who are without material possessions or who have a hard time paying their bills? There certainly is truth in the fact that those who belong to Jesus are the richest in the world, despite any current financial hardships, for they will one day lack for nothing. But the “poor”Jesus addresses here are the “poor in spirit” (Matthew 5). It “signifies those who are brought to the sense of their sins, and seeing no goodness in themselves, despair in themselves and sue wholly to the mercy of God in Christ.”(Thomas Watson) Someone who is poor in spirit has a broken and contrite heart (Psalm 51:17). They are humbled by their sin and know that they approach the living God with absolutely nothing to offer but their own filth and unrighteousness.The reason we must all be “poor in spirit” is because:1. “Until we are poor in spirit—we are not capable of receiving grace” (Watson) Someone who is full of himself is not able to be filled with Christ. “God first empties a man of himself, before he pours in the precious wine of his grace.” (Thomas Watson)2. “Until we are poor in spirit—Christ is never precious” (Watson) The person who see the dirt that covers him will view the garment of Christ’s righteousness as desirable (Zech. 3:4). But if you think your works are good and beautiful on their own then what Christ offers will seem neither necessary or precious.3. “Until we are poor in spirit—we cannot go to heaven” (Watson) The kingdom of God belongs to those who are poor in spirit. The Kingdom is for those who have nothing, know it, and receive what is promised by faith alone. “Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to the cross I cling” I don’t know about you, but I have a major problem here. I can never be poor in spirit on my own. I am by nature proud, self reliant, forgetful, stubborn and rebellious. Even as one who has been saved through the death of Christ I easily revert back to my old nasty habits or self righteousness. But just as my salvation was wholly of God so is everything else pertaining to my spiritual life. Where I fail, Christ succeeds for me. Where I am proud, Christ is humble. And the best part of all is that when I run in the wrong direction Christ pursues me and lovingly brings me back. As Francis Thompson wrote, Jesus, “The Hound of Heaven” pursues those who are his with an“unhurrying chase, unperturbed pace, deliberate speed, and majestic urgency”. We must pray that God would make us aware of where we have filled our lives with “self” instead of Christ. We must pray that God would make us poor in Spirit and fill us “with the graces of his Spirit.” He is faithful, he will hear our prayers. He will change our hearts.The Beatitudes: an exposition of Matthew 5: 1-12 (Kindle ed.)The Beatitudes: an exposition of Matthew 5:1-12 (Paperback ed.)The Beatitudes: an exposition of Matthew 5:1-12 (free to read online)Week 6 Wednesday Scripture: 35 But love you enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. 36 Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. Observation 1: When we do things for other or love them and expect something in return then we are almost always disappointed. Observation2: When we do things for others and love others because it is what Jesus would do and expect nothing in return then we will show others who Jesus is. Then Jesus will produce amazing fruit from this and we will be greatly blessed by the interaction. This kind of giving is faith in action and makes us children of the Most High God. Observation 3: To be like Jesus we must love those who seem unlovable, unthankful and evil because it is what Jesus does for us each and every day! Application: I want to be like Jesus, just like him. I try and fail miserably each day, but the grace of God forgives me and every day I start anew. It is hard sometimes to love those so different from ourselves, but we know that Jesus would not stop until they knew about Him and we should not either. Prayer: Lord, help me to be a light to all those around me. Help me to love my enemies and show them who You are. Teach me to be just like You, so that I can show others who You are. ~AmenWeek 6 Thursday Scripture: 37 Judge no and you shall not be judged. Condemn not and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you shall be forgiven. Observation 1: We read verses 37-42 and probably could have done to write down all of them they are do good. Observation 2: We are not to judge, condemn, or withhold forgiveness from others. When we stood before Jesus this is what we deserved, but instead He showed great love and mercy and He forgave us. How can we do any less for others when we are just as dirty and sinful as they are? Application: Judgmental, unforgiving and condemning behaviors are not characteristics of our wonderful Jesus. If we want to be like Him then we have to let these characteristics go. Prayer: Father, please forgive me when I judge or condemn others, and open my heart to forgive those who have hurt me. Work in me, Father, and give me a heart of mercy and forgiveness. Just as you had when I stood before you with a sinful heart and asked you to cleanse me. Just as you have with me each and every day.Week 6 Friday Scripture: 45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. 49 But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great. Observation 1: Verse 45 for me is a little hard. At first glance you say, “Why? Seems pretty simple.” A good heart produces good and an evil heart produces evil. But are you good or evil? I would of course say that I have a good heart, but do I really? I do not really think so. Left to my own devices I can be judgmental, unforgiving, unkind at times, moody and the list goes on. Without a heart of Jesus I produce evil, but with a heart of Jesus I can produce good. And with this heart of Jesus, when I slip, He can use it for His glory and still produce good. Observation 2: Verse 49 is a very sad verse for me. In Romans 1:18-20 Paul tells us that everyone is “aware” of God and without excuse. He put it in each one of us. When we go through this life ignoring that part of us we are headed for destruction. When we ignore God each day, do not spend time with Him in His word and in prayer then we are letting satan work and he will destroy us spiritually. Open your heart to God, follow His calling, let Him into your life, and search for Him! Then you will be the house that was built on the solid foundation (God) that the flood (satan and life’s trials) could not shake! Prayer: Father, help me to always keep You at the center of my life so satan can have NO hold on me. I want You to be my foundation, Lord! Keep my heart pure and clean Lord, working for You and doing good. ~Amen

Week 5 Monday Scripture: 6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. 11 So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him. Observation 1: With obedience comes great reward. Observation 2: It is like Jesus was doing a little foretelling here. They caught a massive amount of fish and then Jesus tells them they are going to fish for men, and catch just as bag a catch. Larger even, God is way more worried about our souls than our stomachs. Observation 3: Before any of this could happen though, one man had to be obedient. He did not believe that there would be any fish, but he said, “nevertheless at Your word I will…” Observation 4: We cannot continue to hold tight to all we have and still follow God. “They forsook ALL.” We have to give it ALL to God. Application: I want to be blessed because I obeyed God, even through the doubts and lack of understanding. I do not feel like I have a problem handing my possessions over to God. My husband and children is a different thing. I KNOW they are better off in His hands, but we have a huge fear of the unknown. Prayer: Lord, help me to be obedient in every way.

Week 5 Tuesday Scripture: 13 Then He put out His hand and touched him saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” 14 And He charged Him to tell no one, “But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moses commanded.” 16 So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed. Observation 1: Verse 13 is another one of those verses where you need to understand the verse before. This leper lowered himself before Jesus and showed amazing faith, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Jesus rewards faith so strong, if it is His will. Not sure about verse 14 Observation 2: Though I am not sure how much attention I have paid to this verse in the past, I now love it. Think about poor Jesus. He was like an actor with the paparazzi always around them. It says in verse 15 that “great multitudes” came to hear Him preach and to be healed. He must have been exhausted! I am sure that He needed to draw on God’s strength, a lot. And be renewed by the Spirit so He could continue to preach God’s word and heal people. He leaves the people and heads out to pray “often”. If the Son of God needs to pray often it seems to me that we should be praying even more than that! Application 1: I want to be like Jesus, taking my concerns to God, often and over everything. Prayer: Lord, I can do nothing without You! Help me to turn to You in ALL things, to rely on Your strength. I can do all things with You and nothing without You! I love the Courageous song, especially the part that says, “They only way we’ll ever stand is on our knees with lifted hands.”

Week 5 Wednesday Scripture: 20 When he saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” 22 But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts? 23 Which is easier to say, “Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise up and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins” –He said to the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” Observation 1: Again we see Jesus rewarding great faith. Observation 2: The beginning of the Pharisees testing Jesus. Application 1 Jesus wants us to have a strong faith in Him. This is sometimes very hard. We see a physical barrier and do not believe that a Spiritual God can move it. I struggle with this. The people of this day were so blessed to have Jesus there with them. We must remember, though, He is here with us also. And if we really open our eyes and look we can see him in action. Prayer: Open my eyes, Father and help me to see You! To see You working in a very real way in my life. I want to feel You presence Lord and know that you are with me. ~AmenWeek 5 Thursday Scripture: 31 Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” Observation 1: I cannot stand how the Pharisees thought that they were better than everyone else. Jesus knew just how to handle them though. What wonderful words He spoke here. He came for us! All of us! Little did they know, for they thought that they were righteous, but He came for them as well. “As it is written, there is none righteous, no not one.” Romans 3:10 Application 1: There are times, if I am honest, that I feel that I am a better Christian than someone else. Maybe their sin is more visible or deliberate than mine. I need to remember that I am not righteous or good. I am a sinner and I need God’s grace and mercy every day just like everyone else. I praise God that He sent His Son for my sinful soul, and that He will not give up on me and will continue to work in my heart and life. Prayer: Father, thank you for a Bible study that shows me that I need to remember to be humble in my walk with You. It is by Your grace that I am saved, not of myself. It is a gift from You, and one that I do not deserve, and not of my own works. I have no right to be proud or boast. Thank You Lord for Your gift of salvation! ~Amen

Week 5 Friday Scripture: 34 And He said to them, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? 35 But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days.” Observation: bridegroom=Jesus and friends=disciples; other than this, I really do not understand.

Week 4 Monday Scripture: 4”It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” 8 “Get behind me Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord you God, and Him only you shall serve.” 12 “It has been said, “You shall not tempt the Lord your God.” Observation 1 : Satan will try to stop you from doing God’s work. Even though we are God’s children, Satan will try to deter us. Observation 2: Jesus fought Satan with the word of God. Observation 3: These are three verses that are very important in our everyday lives.... Application 1: I never thought too much about Satan when I was younger. I knew he was real, but I did not really think that he pertained to me b/c I was saved. That is a very foolish way to live. Just as God is everywhere, so is Satan, and he will do ANYTHING to turn us away from God, even if for just a second. Our job, teaching others about God, is a very important one. What happens if we get derailed? We miss an opportunity! A chance to teach someone about the love of God. The other day I had picked up Cheerie, my niece, from Pre-K and we were singing, “Where I Belong” by Building 429. When we got inside I asked them and my nephew Sam (9 if this was our home .This led to about a 45 minute discussion about God and the life of Jesus. Sam was asking about how to get to heaven and so we talked about accepting Jesus as our Savior. What if I had been deterred by the things of this world? Which, by the way, I believe is Satan’s greatest tool! Sam is obviously getting close to making a decision for Christ. What if I let that moment pass? Application 2: We can NOT fight Satan without the Word in our heart. We cannot have the Word in our heart if we do not read it. We cannot even know when Satan is lying to us if we do not know what the Bible says! God also uses His Word to speak to us. How will we know what God is saying if we do not know His word? Prayer: Oh Father, protect me from Satan!!! Help me to see his evil plans and rebuke him with Your wonderful words just as Jesus did. ~AmenWeek 4 Tuesday Scripture: 18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; 19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. Observation 1: Isaiah was a wonderful man of God. A man who had actually seen God. In chapters 60 and 61, where these verses came from, Isaiah is actually prophesying about the Messiah, and what He would later do. Observation 2: These verses show us that the gospel is for everyone. Prayer: Lord, help me to see those who are poor, brokenhearted, held captive, blinded by the world, and oppressed. Help me to teach them about Your love, mercy, healing, forgiveness, and peace. Help me to show them what a true relationship with you is like.Week 4 Wednesday Scripture: 24 Then He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. 27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” Observation 1: Jesus knew that His own people would not accept Him or His teachings. Observation 2: This makes me think of those who become saved who are; 1. Going against their family’s’ beliefs 2. Have lived a really bad life before becoming saved or 3. Family telling us what we are doing wrong when we know their past. Application 1: It must have broken Jesus’ heart to know that the very ones He cared so much for had rejected Him. I am sure that is how He still feels as America continually rejects Him. How sad! Application 2: We need to understand that to God, sin is sin, either way we cannot get to Heaven without Jesus. We tend to think that we are better b/c our sin “is not as bad” as that guys. Thankfully we have a God that will cleanse ANY sin! That is a huge comfort to me. Application 3: God uses those around us. We need to learn to listen to those who love us objectively. Prayer: Lord, help me to reach others for you. Help me to accept others and learn to listen so that I can become more like You!

Week 4 Thursday Scripture: 33 Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon. And he cried out with a loud voice, 34 saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come here to destroy us? I know who You are-the Holy One of God!” 35 But Jesus rebuked him saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him. Observation 1: The demon knew who Jesus was. Observation 2: Jesus is always stronger! He can even control demons. Observation 3: I wonder if demons still take control of people today. Application 1: We can trust God to take care of us. He is stronger than Satan and can cast him to the firey pits of hell at any time. All that He is waiting for is us. He does not want ANY of us to go to hell and so He is waiting. This does mean that Satan is working on this Earth, but God will no give us more than we can handle and He will be with us through it all! Prayer – Lord, help us through this life; grant us peace Lord in times of trouble. Help us to have faith in You, Father. ~ AmenWeek 3 Friday Scripture: 42 Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them; 43 but He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.” Observation 1: Jesus followed God’s lead. He knew what His purpose was and He continued on that path, letting God lead Him. Application 1: I want to be the same. I want to know my purpose and follow God’s path for me. I do not feel like this is easy to know or do though. I constantly doubt if I am doing what God wants for my life. Please pray for me in this, girls. Prayer: Father, all I want is to do Your will, for I know that this is how I will be happiest and most fulfilled. Lead me, Lord. Speak to me, Father. All for Your glory. ~Amen

Scripture: 5. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight and the rough ways smooth; 6. And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

Observation 1: I love how God foretold all that would happen long before. Why would the people doubt? They knew He was coming, God told them!... Observation 2: Ok so I get the last part of these two verses. Jesus is our salvation!!!! Amen!!! But what about the rest? Ok so we know that there is no talk of these things actually happening, valleys filled and mountains brought low. So they have to be metaphors right? So what is “every valley…filled” is talking about us lowly sinners being filled with Jesus, our salvation? What if “every mountain and hill brought low” speaks of how Jesus is going to “battle” with the Pharisees? They thought that they were high above everyone else. Please let me know you thought and if I am way off PLEASE let me know. I am not sure about the last part of verse 5 though. Application: God know all and sees all, He works all things out for our own good. It is ok to trust Him without fear! Prayer: Father help me to keep trusting You!Day 12 Tuesday

Scripture: 8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our father.” For I say unto you that God is able to raise up children of Abraham from these stones. 9 Ad even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bare fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Observation 1: Repentance – sorrow for doing wrong, sorrow or regret. I do not understand. Why would he say – bear fruit worthy of sorrow/regret?

Observation 2: We should not brag about who we come from b/c that does not make us a better person, only our own heart and relationship with God can do that.... Observation 3: The things/people in our lives that hinder us from producing good fruit for the Lord needs to be cut off. Application 1: I need to continually look at my life and make sure that there are not things or people who take me away from God. Say I have a friend that I am trying to teach about God, but when I am around them I wind up gossiping about others. This is not leading this person to God, and is leading me away from Him. Prayer: Lord, help me to remain humble, only exalting You and help me to see the things that take me away from You.Week 3 Wednesday

Scripture: 10 So people asked him saying, "What shall we do then?" 11 He answered and said to them, "He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise." Observation 1: This one is pretty simple: When we are blessed we are to give to those with less. When we give God blesses us, and the cycle continues :) God expects us to show His love to others. Application and Prayer: Lord, give me a heart of giving. Help me to see those in need around me and help them, always giving You the glory! ~AmenWeek 3 Friday Scripture: 22 And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon him, and a voice came from Heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.” Observation 1: In the verse before it says that “as He prayed the heaven was opened…” and these things happened. So did Jesus also have to make a decision and ask God into His heart? When Jesus made this decision God sent the gift of the Holy Spirit and told Him how pleased He was. God loves us so much that He had the Son, who He was so please with die in our place. Would H do any less for each of us? We all, if we have asked Jesus into our hearts, have the Holy Spirit with us at all times and though we still do wrong, He is please with us. Application 1: I want to remember how much God loves me and portray that love to others. I want to be still and listen to the Holy Spirit who lives in me. Learn His voice and His ways and let Him work in my life. Prayer: Lord, help me with these things! I want to be more like You each and every day!

]]>Fri, 25 Jan 2013 16:59:38 GMThttp://benhamfarms.weebly.com/faith/week-1-wednesday-luke-139-56SOAP Luke 1: 45-5045 Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord." 46 And Mary said: "My dould magnifies the Lord 47 And my spirit has rejoyced in God my Savior. 48 For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. 49 For He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name. 50 And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation.Observation 1 God does not see as we see. He wants to use everyone for His glory, a lowly maidservant, a tax collector, or a persecutor of Christians.

Observation 2: Mary praises God, she is filled with the Spirit of God. I believe this is b/c she believed the angel of the Lord and walked the path that He chose for her and no the path of her own choosing. Observation 3: We serve a Mighty God, one who loves us, no matter how full of sin we are. He is holy but full of grace and mercy at the same time. It does not matter which “time” we live in, we are all full of sin, but if we believe in God He can cleanse us from those sins. Application 1: A mighty God wants to use us/me, a lowly maidservant for His glory, and if I believe and trust I will be blessed with His love and Spirit within ...me. This amazes me and scares me at the same time. But I must be honest here, I struggle with knowing if I am making the right decisions. Though I feel God’s Spirit and presence with me often, I do not hear His voice. When I am making a decision I have a really hard time knowing what God wants me to do. Not sure how that fits in here, but it has been on my heart for a few days. I guess it is b/c of the “for there will be fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord” part of the verse. I believe with all of my heart, but am not sure what God wants me to do. Application 2: I want to be like Mary, completely following God’s plan for my life, not my own, and being blessed and being filled with the Holy Spirit in the way that Mary was. Application 3: No matter how much I want to be like Jesus I need to remember that I am not good, I am a sinner and I need God’s grace and mercy new every day. Prayer: (This was a hard one for me today, and it feels like this is kind of a jumbled mess, sorry. All of my prayers that I tried to pray and write just did not feel like they worked out. So I pray that Jesus interceded for me today with God and told him what was in my heart, b/c I just could not get it out)]]>Tue, 15 Jan 2013 16:50:01 GMThttp://benhamfarms.weebly.com/faith/january-25th-2013SOAP Luke 1:37-3837 For with God nothing will be impossible." 38 Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.Wow! I LOVE God!!! Observation 1: God can and will do anything to have us at His side, even send His own son to Earth by way of the Holy Spirit and a VIRGIN! Amazing!! Observation 2: No matter the fear and worry that she must have been feeling about showing up pregnant and unmarried, Mary chose to trust God and give Him full claim to her life!

Application 1: I feel like I should stop more and realize how awesome our God really is. We say, “nothing is impossible for God” but do we really believe it?... Application 2: I want to be more like Mary. No matter how crazy or impossible the path may look I want to say, “Lord, I am your maidservant. Do with me as you wish!”

Prayer: Father, help me to realize that truly NOTHING is impossible for You, all I need to do is have faith like Mary and lay my life in Your hands. Lord, I am your maidservant. Do with me as You wish! ~ Amen]]>Mon, 14 Jan 2013 16:44:11 GMThttp://benhamfarms.weebly.com/faith/week-1-monday-read-luke-11-25SOAP Luke 1:1-41Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us,2just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus,4 that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.

Day 1 Luke 1:1-4 I am with Jamie, as I was reading it seemed like “mombo jumbo”. As I looked at what verses we were to SOAP on I was like “really, why those, with all of the info on John birth?” I couple of things popped out at me: first was, eyewitnesses, then perfect understanding, and last know the certainty of things learned.

Observation 1: Luke, a doctor, is writing a letter to a friend, Theophilus, about the things that Theophilus was taught. Luke wanted to make sure that what his friend was taught was correct, so he went on a fact finding mission for a friend.

... Observation 2: Luke did not guess at this information, it was way to important for that, he went to "eyewitnesses" who were there from the beginning, Mary and Joseph maybe or Peter and Mark. And once he had a "perfect understanding" of what went on, he shared the gospel with his dear friend, and praise God, all of us also!!!

Application 1: Luke has reached millions of people about Jesus by sharing the gospel with just one person. I, as a follower of Jesus should do the same, share Jesus with others. By talking to one person who talks to one person and so on the gospel is spread :)

Application 2: I think that we should all dig and study for the truth within the Bible. Pastor Carl Dixon was talking about the Pharisees and how they made up all of these silly religious laws that God never commanded and were keeping the people away from God. Sharing the gospel of Jesus is not about religion or rules and regulations; this will only turn others away from God. It is about loving Jesus, asking Him into our hearts, knowing how horrible we are and wanting to be more like Him. It is about building that relationship with Him and then sharing that amazing feeling with others. You know what I am talking about, that wonderful peace that fills us, feeling His presence with us. You cannot even describe it, but you want others to have it!!! Prayer: Father help me to always go to your word and seek out the “eyewitnesses” and study until you give me “perfect understanding” and I know that what others have taught me is “certain”. Then let me take these truths and share them with others. Help me to be like Luke, sharing the truth with others. Help me to not be judgmental or push rules and regulation on others, but let me share the love of Jesus instead. Help me to let others know how wonderful it is to be in your presence. Help me Lord to not be bogged down with religious rules and regulation but to constantly seek You and Your truths. Help me to work hard every day to me more like you. ~ Amen]]>Mon, 14 Jan 2013 16:37:29 GMThttp://benhamfarms.weebly.com/faith/good-morning-girls-luke-bible-studyFirst I am going to give you all of the information for this wonderful Bible study. I love this method of studying. I have been trying for awhile to find a great group to join that would not take me away from the kids and this is it! They are very organized and give you lots of supplamental information. The group is called Good Morning Girls, and they have done a number of Bible studies in this way. It is all done on your own time and online. Some of my facebook friends and family have created a facebook group where we can share what we have learned or experienced from the study, help each other and pray for each other. So if you would like to do the study you first need to subscribe to the page so that you can get email from them. Then you can sign up for the group Bible study. They will send you and email with the ebook to download and the bookmarks, or you can get them by clicking on the links provided. I will be posting my thoughts from the study on this page so be sure to check back in and post your thoughts :)God Bless!]]>